This invention relates to iron type golf club heads, and particularly to golf ball striking faces of iron type golf clubs.
Various kinds of materials have previously been used for wood type golf clubs. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,306 to Jepson, many kinds of materials such as wood, metal, synthetic resinous and other materials have been used.
However, the entire body of an iron type golf club head has been fabricated from only metal such as mild steel or stainless steel, and, accordingly, a ball striking face thereof to be in direct contact with a golf ball has also been fabricated from hard metal.
Such conventional iron type golf club heads, however, have reached the upper limit of increase in the carry of golf ball. Moreover, with the recent prevalence of two-component type golf balls among golfers, a problem has been that control over the direction and distance travelled by the golf ball is difficult because a hard feeling is impressed to golfer's hands in a far shorter period of time spent while the two-component type golf ball is in contact with the striking face than that in the case of the conventional thread-wound type golf ball.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an iron type golf club head to increase the carry of golf balls.
Another object of this invention is to provide an iron type golf club head to reduce the degree of back spin and increase the trajectory angle of impacted golf ball.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an iron type golf club head to prolong the period of time to be spent while the two-component type or one-component type golf ball is in contact with the striking face of the golf club head (that is, to increase the rate of contact time assumed as 100 to 105-130), thereby enabling easier control over the travelling direction of golf ball and improved feeling to golfer's hands at a moment of hitting the golf ball.
Other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reference to the appended drawings and detailed description that will be made later.
According to this invention, there is provided a golf club head comprising a head proper made of metal and a member occupying at least the central part of the golf ball striking face and made of a material having a compression Young's modulus lower than that of steel.
In addition, according to this invention, there is provided a golf club head comprising a metallic head proper and a member occupying at least the central part of the golf ball striking face, made of a material having a compression Young's modulus lower than that of steel, and formed to be flat and smooth with none of face grooves.
Furthermore, according to this invention, there is provided a golf club head wholly fabricated from only a member made of a material having a compression Young's modulus lower than that of steel.